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1) Prep's Cool
Fashion is in the midst of a throwback revival, with old-school brands (Barbour, Cole Haan, Sperry) back in style, thanks to sleek spins on Muffy and Biff classics. The latest brand to join the pack: L.L. Bean, which debuts its Signature collection in stores and online Saturday (Tysons Corner Center, 703-288-4466). Men's and women's pieces (such as a striped Breton sailor sweater, $59, and heavy canvas duffle, $54, right) still invoke the line's preppy-meets-outdoorsy roots, but with slim-cut silhouettes and graphic patterns.
2) Flat Tops
We've emptied our piggy banks ISO the trick to sleek, smooth hair, throwing money at fancy frizz serums, boar-bristle brushes and enough bottles of conditioner to fill a CVS. The winner: Salon Tech's Silicone 450 flat iron ($200), which — besides delivering Jennifer Aniston-esque shiny, straight tresses sans frying — heats in just 17 seconds and boasts temperature settings for different hair. Yes, it's pricey, but not compared to the 37 vessels of discarded products clogging our bathroom.
Continue Reading "Grab Bag: Old-School Revival, New-School History" »
1) A Whiff Of Warmth
If S.A.D. (that's snow affective disorder, a new term we're submitting to the medical authorities) has you down, think spring. Or — even better — sniff it, courtesy of the new cherry blossom fragrance from luxe French line L'Occitane en Provence ($46, L'Occitane, 3106 M St. NW; 202-337-6004). The pretty floral fragrance is light yet slightly woody and wild. Not enough? Well, there are 43 days until the National Cherry Blossom Festival starts. Yes, we're counting.
2) All the Gritty Girls
Joan Jett, Karen O and Beth Ditto provide sartorial proof that rocker chicks can look both edgy and weirdly elegant. The stacks and stacks of skinny bracelets favored by such downtown divas are climbing the fashion charts for spring. Linda Levinson's pretty-gone-punky styles in leather and rhinestones ( $85) just strutted into the Shoe Hive (127 S. Fairfax St.; 703-548-7105). Don them for a night at the Black Cat or a day at the office.
THE FASHION SET'S ongoing love affair with the smoky eye seems to have sparked a new trend: a pack of noir-as-night beauty products that add a touch of dark decadence to a dressing table. Whether it's a sparkly nighttime nail color from Dior or the latest onyx-bottled scents, it's clear that in beauty, black is the new black.
1. EVENING STANDARD
Soft as a black kitten, Giorgio Armani's powder puff imparts a pretty shimmer ($55, Saks Fifth Avenue, 5555 Wisconsin Ave.; 301-657-9000).
2. BLACK MAGIC
Givenchy's Le Soin Noir cream gets its dark hue and age-defying infusions from rare black algae ($360, Sephora, 3065 M St. NW; 202-338-5644).
3. DEEP NOTES
Marc Jacobs' Daisy Intense perfume has an deep violet scent that smells as good as it looks ($70, Bloomingdale's, 5300 Western Ave.; 240-744-3700).
4. DARK NIGHTS
The midnight hue of Christian Dior's party-perfect Black Sequins nail lacquer is flecked with sparkles of light-catching silver ($19, Sephora).
5. EBONY EFFECTS
Despite its sleek bottle, Bulgari's Jasmin Noir delivers a warm, woodsy scent ($68, Bulgari, 5481 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase; 301-986-8610).
IT'S NO LONGER ENOUGH for a perfume to make you smell nice in the summer. Benefit's B-Spot ($38, Sephora.com) — a gentle, fruity scent — claims to awaken our female sensuality when applied to erogenous zones like the backs of knees and behind the ears.
Testing found that it will not cause tinkling theme music to accompany your every step, nor ignite passion in every passing male. But it smells lovely.
ELIZABETH ARDEN'S Green Tea eau de toilette was the first perfume this writer ever bought after smelling it in one of those magazine inserts.
True story! Now the red-door ladies have come out with a new version, Green Tea Lotus ($37, Elizabetharden.com), which takes the preppy version and sexes it up with a spicier hit and a subtle sophistication that lurks in the background.
It's pretty much the scent version of your favorite work outfit: No, you can't wear it every day, but you feel just a bit better when you have it on.
Written by Express contributor Kristen Page-Kirby
ESTEE LAUDER does what it does very well. It's been making variations of its Pure White Linen fragrance ($35, Esteelauder.com) since it premiered in 1978, and it's not musty yet. It's classic and lovely, in a Park Avenue sort of way. There are hints of grapefruit and ginger that fade into a gentle cedar scent, with just a hint of freshly printed money. This is a perfume for classy women — or those who just want to smell classy.
Estee Lauder has added a few fun elements to its traditional scent, perhaps to cash in on the funky fashion sense that will have overtaken women drunk on the shopping montages of "Sex and the City: The Movie." But the fragrance can't really change its stripes. Luckily, it was nice to begin with.
THANKS TO OUR rather provincial existence and the fact that our request to travel for "research" was so unfairly denied, we can't tell you for certain whether the light and fruity fragrance of Elizabeth Arden's Mediterranean Breeze ($58, department stores) does smell like its name.
However, we can confirm that the scent does illicit generous compliments from the opposite sex. They just would have been better if said in an Italian accent (and heard while we were sipping white wine while trolling along exotic shores). Hmph.
Written by Erin Clements Rushing
FINDING A NEW perfume can be intimidating at best and nauseating at worst. But Sephora's new Scentsa Fragrance Finder (Tysons Corner Center and Georgetown stores) makes it that much easier to avoid sensory overload.
Its new touch-pad screens provide easily accessible information on anything you could ever imagine about perfume.
Written by Express contributor Danielle Parnass
IN D.C., A LAND sans waterfalls, where can one go to smell the natural wonder? No need to stick your nose in a thousand tons of rushing water just yet. Try a perfume that encompasses fragrant falls. L'Eau D'Issey by Issey Miyake ($60, Sephora.com) has a truly aquatic appeal. It's light enough to wear at work or at home. Floral scents — including lotus, freesia, carnations and white lilies — add to Issey's feminine bouquet.
It's the perfect accompaniment to the upcoming summer dress season. L'Eau D'Issey isn't all innocence though. Like waterfalls, there's a hint of danger. Woody and musky undertones give this perfume a sexy tone that pairs well with sexy stilettos.
Written by Express contributor Robyn Mincher
APRIL 20 HAS COME and gone, but you can still celebrate its patron herb, legally. Fresh Cannabis Rose perfume ($75, Fresh.com) smells like roses, not pot. It's a darker scent that makes us think of Miss Havisham's overgrown garden.
So, go ahead — inhale. And while the bath and shower gel ($28) may raise some eyebrows, we'll have you know that cannabis seed oil is known for its nourishing properties. Plus, you won't even have to put a towel under the bathroom door.
Written by Express contributor Stephanie Jones
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